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POLITICO 44

Democratic lawmakers will not be able to count on the AFL-CIO's support if they drop the public insurance option from the health care reform legislation, union officials said Tuesday.

The AFL-CIO’s incoming president, Richard Trumka, outlined "three absolute musts" in any overhaul package: a public option, an employer mandate and no tax on employer-provided health benefits.

Asked if the union would work against any bill that did not hit those targets, Trumka told reporters during a briefing: "That means we won't support the bill if it doesn't have the public option."

The hard line underscores the challenge facing President Barack Obama as he continues to pursue a bipartisan deal. Any agreement would need to thread the needle between a liberal base that has become more insistent in recent weeks on the inclusion of a public option and a Republican Party that has all but closed the door on a government insurance plan or anything resembling it.

Losing support of the AFL-CIO, one of the Democratic Party's most powerful allies, would rob Obama of a significant resource for grass-roots mobilization.

"Otherwise we don't get health insurance reform, we don't break the stranglehold of insurance companies, and that system goes on and on and on as it has," said Trumka, who is currently the union's secretary-treasurer. "Costs go up, quality of care goes down."

On Monday, Trumka said in a speech at the Center for American Progress that lawmakers will pay a political price if they abandon the public option.

If Republicans wanted a Health Care Bill, they would have pass one when they were in office of 8 years. Everyday the Republicans have showed the American people they do not want to work with this President on health Care Reform they just want to kill the bill al together.

Finally, someone on the Democratic side with a spine! I understand that it is hard for people like Kent Conrad to give up their addiction to insurance company campaign contributions, it is time. Those contributions come from money that is obtained by refusing to cover procudures and by raising premiums. Meanwhile, small businesses and individuals are unable to afford insurance. The Democrats have to remember who brung them to the dance and who dances only with them.

I'm sick and tired of this living wage, benifits, workplace safety, reasonable hours, OT, vacation, etc..etc.. i want to go to Wal mart and get 20 hours with a little help from the store manager to get on welfare. Screw those unions, the CEO's have it tough enough without them keeping the man down.

The public is not against the public option. In fact, it's about split by most polls. This after the barrage of misinformation spit out of the mouths of conservatives. I agree with the Union and the middle and low income workers of the U.S. they represent. No public option, no Bill.

Isn't that just like the Union. Dose anybody want to know the reason why. It is so simple, it is all tied to the Union's befifits package with what ever is left with the major manufacturers, espcially the one that they own; the Auto Industry. The Union bosses know that their benfits packages for their employees and the legacy packages they payout to their retirees are unsustanable. They know and understand that eventually they will have to make concessions concerning these packages, espcially health care because the as the majority owner or the Chrysler and GM they know the company will fail and they will loose jobs unless they find a way to reduce the benifits packages of their employees.

So, the Union membership, whom, the Union Bosses are supose to represent and protect gets the shaft in the reare end from their Unions again. This time it is very simple the Unions are now management and the workers are have no representation. The new Union Auto Management Teams will reduce or end the benifits packages of their membership, droping health care coverage (hey the government tax will be cheeper then the premiums the major manufacturers pay the insurance companies) and forcing their membership into the public option for health care. If the membership understood that they are going to loose their health care benifits and beforced to beg for health care from Obama's cost cutting (health care denying) bureaucrats, they would revolt against their leadership. Just like Union bosses leaving their membership with stomach cramps and no porto poddy to use any where to releave themselves. That has been the history of Organized Labor and their Leadership,screw the workers and their membership just make sure the Union leaders geti theirs.

AFL-CIO HELP. DID YOU SEE THE LIST OF UNIONS WHO MET..INVITE ONLY..CLOSED TO THE PRESS..WITH DHS..TO GET THE NEXT AMNESTY MOVE GOING? I.B.E.W, TEAMSTERS, BRICK MASONS, FEDERAL EMPLOYEES, AND DO YOU KNOW WHO WE FIGHT ..WHEN WE FIGHT FOR AMERICAN JOBS..VIA E-VERIFY? THE AFL-CIO. WHO DO WE FIGHT FOR ENDING VISA JOB THEFT? AFL-CIO. THEY ARE JUST ANOTHER FRONT GROUP FOR THE OPEN BORDERS..CITIZENSHIP MEANS NOTHING..BORDERS LESS..LET THEM WIN ELECTIONS..LET US SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO. AND DON'T CALL FOR DAVIS BACON WAGES EVER AGAIN...DON'T CALL FOR UNION LABOR..EVER AGAIN..LET LARAZA CARRY THAT CROSS FOR THEM. SOME UNIONS..STEELWORKERS..COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS..SOME OF THEM..ARE NOT A PART OF THE OPEN BORDERS..STEAL AMERICAN JOBS..NAFTA LOVING...AFL-CIO. THEY DID NOT FIGHT CLINTON ON NAFTA..NOW WE SEE WHY. THEY WANTED IT. HCAN organizer in impromptu astroturf seminar. Why you need to start bringing cameras *everywhere.*

Tuesday, September 1st at 9:30AM EDT

(Via Gateway Pundit) This got filmed yesterday, and shows an organizer for HCAN giving quick instructions on how to keep Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s constituents from being heard when they raise concerns on the health care rationing bill:

DID Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s HUSBAND EVER GET OUT OF JAIL? HE WENT TO PRISON FOR CORRUPTION..FOUR YEARS?? YEAH. I THINK THAT MATTER WHEN SHE CALLS TOWN HALL PEOPLE.."MOBS" AND "ASTROTURF" IT IS HER HUSBAND IN JAIL..NOT THEM. THINK OF THE CHOICE WORDS THEY COULD HURL AT HER..AND DON'T. THEY HAVE CLASS. SHE DOES NOT.

i love it when the liberals start eating their own, unions want support any bill with govt. option, majority voters say he11 no to govt. option. Hey liberals, how's it fell to twist in the wind. Da_n if ya do, and da_n if ya don't. Watching this is the most fun i've had with my clothes on

If you are wondering why the AFL-CIO has such an interest in preserving HR3200 we need to only look at Section 2531. This section refers to the requirements that your health care entity has to comply with in order to refer government grants. Since many smaller clinics really on government funding as part of the operating revenue, in one case as much as 50%, the unions now have a vehicle to make unionization mandatory and to become part of the management.

Section 2531 Establishment of a Grant Program states that only " a health care entity that is jointly administered by a health care employer and a labor union representing the health care employees of the employer and that carries out activities using labor management training funds ". will be eligible for grants.

If unions running your health care entity is your idea of " reducing costs and improving health care", then HR3200 is for you. Otherwise the time for action is now.